Itinerary: For the Birds

Maybe you’ve noticed that it’s getting a little harder to sleep in in the morning these days. The birds just won’t have it. It’s that nesting-mating-hatching season, it seems, and the birds just need to sing about it.

A fascinating thing about birds: Because they live in nearly every habitat the Earth has, they’ve diversified into more than 9,000 species. There are only 4,500 species of mammals and 6,000 reptiles, by comparison. (There are 800,000 species of insects--but that’s another story.)

Southern California has some of the most varied bird-watching available--from coastal wetlands to forested mountain terrain. This weekend, take a moment to appreciate our feathered friends. Even if they are waking you up in the morning.

Friday

Serious bird-watchers are happy to rack up a few hundred sightings in a year, keeping a detailed log of where and when they spotted each variety. You can see more than 500 birds in one day at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park. Open daily. $3; $2, seniors/students; $1, children. [213] 763-DINO).

The Schreiber Hall of Birds is an invaluable resource for birders trying to figure out, “Just what was that little brown job?” A computerized bird encyclopedia in the reference room has video and audio samples on more than 400 birds. Even if you’re a birding novice, there’s plenty here to hold your attention--like the voice of Jonathan Winters as Professor Percy Pelican, the animated character who introduced the exhibit.

In addition to the stuffed birds on display, the museum has exhibits on nests, eggs, songs and hearing. Or, a display on birds’ internal organs will show you how fast a hummingbird’s heart actually beats compared to a human’s.

Afterward, you can check out birds’ possible ancient cousins, the dinosaurs. Paleontologists are now debating whether dinosaurs became extinct or evolved into birds.

Saturday

The wetlands along the California coastline have some of the most dense populations of shorebirds, waterfowl and sea birds in the nation. Bolsa Chica State Beach (on Pacific Coast Highway, about one mile south of Warner Avenue, Huntington Beach. Open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. [714] 846-3460) offers some of the best wetlands bird-watching around. A walk along the water might give you a view of dozens of birds, including terns, California gnatcatchers, pelicans and maybe a heron. A relatively small oil spill in December took a big toll on the fragile wetlands and the wildlife--some of which are endangered species. The cleanup cost $175,000 but couldn’t save the dozens of birds killed.

Get a free tour from a guide from the Amigos de Bolsa Chica from 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, starting at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, across from the beach. (714) 840-1575.

Sunday

Wildwood Canyon Park (off Harvard Road, north of Sunset Canyon Drive, in Burbank. [818] 238-5378) offers a different type of bird habitat: the Verdugo Mountains. Docent Mike McHorney leads one of his free, monthly bird walks there this Sunday at 9 a.m.

Bring your binoculars and sturdy shoes, McHorney said. He’ll be looking for a pair of hawks who mated recently and maybe California quail, road runners or mourning doves. A few barn owls live in the nearby Starlight Bowl--but that’s not on the tour.

Finish the day with lunch or dinner at Birds (5925 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. Open 11:45 a.m.-1 a.m. weekends. [323] 465-0175). The specialty is rotisserie chicken--but if you can’t bear to eat a little winged creature, they also have tuna, roll-ups, salads and other non-fowl entrees.